About Sonchus tenerrimus L.
Sonchus tenerrimus L. is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, commonly known as slender sowthistle. It is native to the Mediterranean region, covering southern Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East. It has also been recorded in many other locations around the world, where it has historically been associated with ship ballast in coastal areas. It has successfully naturalized in a small number of regions, including California in the United States and Baja California in Mexico. This species is an annual or perennial herb that grows a slender, branching stem that reaches up to approximately 80 centimeters, or 32 inches, in height. Its leaves are deeply split into many lobes of varying shapes, and these lobes may have toothed edges or additional smaller lobes. The inflorescence holds flower heads lined with glandular phyllaries that range from hairy to woolly in texture. Each flower head contains many yellow ray florets, and has no disc florets. The fruit produced is an achene that reaches up to one centimeter long when its pappus is included.
